Poem 2: "A Clock stopped--" (Johnson 287) A Clock stopped — Not the Mantel's — Geneva's farthest skill Can't put the puppet bowing — That just now dangled still — An awe came on the Trinket! The Figures hunched, with pain — Then quivered out of Decimals — Into Degreeless Noon — It will not stir for Doctors — This Pendulum of snow — The Shopman importunes it — While cool — concernless No — Nods from the Gilded pointers — Nods from the Seconds slim — Decades of Arrogance between The Dial life — And Him — * Poem number 2 in our study of interruption! This is one of my favorite Dickinson poems. Here she describes the "clock stopped" isn't "the mantel's"--a more modest clock you could put on the mantel above a hearth--but a grandfather clock, one of the really whimsical ones which marks the hour by some extravagant display. The one she's imagining (or describing) appears to send "puppets bowing" when it strikes t...
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POEM 1/ March 30 I tie my Hat — I crease my Shawl — Life's little duties do — precisely — As the very least Were infinite — to me — I put new Blossoms in the Glass — And throw the old — away — I push a petal from my Gown That anchored there — I weigh The time 'twill be till six o'clock I have so much to do — And yet — Existence — some way back — Stopped — struck — my ticking — through — We cannot put Ourself away As a completed Man Or Woman — When the Errand's done We came to Flesh — upon — There may be — Miles on Miles of Nought — Of Action — sicker far — To simulate — is stinging work — To cover what we are From Science — and from Surgery — Too Telescopic Eyes To bear on us unshaded — For their — sake — not for Ours — 'Twould start them — We — could tremble — But since we got a Bomb — And held it in our Bosom — Nay — Hold it — it is calm — Therefore — we do life's labor — Though life's Reward — be done — With scrupulous exactness — To hold our Se...
FIVE POEMS/ WEEK OF 3/30 My Preceptors: It's good to be back with you. For this week, please consider the following poems: "I tie my hat--I crease my Shawl" (Johnson 443) "A clock stopped--" (Johnson 287) "'Twas just this time, last year, I died--" (Johnson 445) "I dreaded that first Robin, so" (Johnson 348) "A light exists in Spring" (Johnson 812) * There is a wiki list of Emily Dickinson's poems, organized alphabetically, which might help us quite a bit in our new manifestation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Emily_Dickinson_poems I haven't investigated it thoroughly, but it would appear to be quite complete. The texts are from Johnson (your softcover edition) but the number in Franklin (the scholarly edition) is also given. For each poem, also consult the Dickinson archive for variants and anomalies: edickinson.org * I'll post my thoughts on "I tie my hat" either later...
A Distraction
Hi y'all! Not sure I remember how to correctly format a blog post (if this was Tumblr my muscle memory would kick in immediately) and this is not exactly on topic, but I thought I'd share something that might cheer people up....puppies! In an effort to refrain from driving each other crazy during all this, my family is fostering a sweet dog named Ginger (originally spelled Gynger but I refuse to participate in that) and her six two-week-old puppies. I have lots and lots of photos, but here are a few. Puppy name suggestions are welcome! Hope everybody is safe and doing well.